


fight so dirty (but your love's so sweet)

by kainnuendo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, BL actors, BL references, Bottom Do Kyungsoo | D.O, Cameos from actual BL actors, Communication Failure, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Minor Original Character(s), Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rivalry, Self-Indulgent, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Sort Of, Top Kim Jongin | Kai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kainnuendo/pseuds/kainnuendo
Summary: Do Kyungsoo and Kim Jongin are the stars of a popular BL series. For some reason, everyone thinks they're in love, not just as their characters but in real life as well. They say nowadays it pays to be gay. So, they decide to give the audience exactly what they want.(Or, alternatively: AU where Kyungsoo and Jongin are BL actors who are contractually obligated to act like a couple. The only issue with this is that they absolutely cannot stand each other.)
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 86
Kudos: 154





	1. prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, you saw that right. I'm really doing this.
> 
> I've been dying to write a chaptered fic, a BL actors AU, and something with an enemies to lovers trope for ages now. Then, I had this crazy epiphany in which I realized, wait, I can just combine all these three? And so I did. This serves as a much-needed break from the dumb, smutty one-shot fics that I've been posting. I can finally try to write something more substantial? I guess, and hopefully it will help me become inspired to write more. 
> 
> Okay that's all I'm gonna say. Happy reading! 
> 
> (OH, btw. the title is from 5sos's 'teeth'.)

Jongin stumbles out of the elevator, slightly rattled, his long legs making large strides towards a black van that’s parked by the curb. Baekhyun is in tow, hot on his heels, nagging him about punctuality, but he drowns out the voice and instead focuses on tying his bow tie. 

He’s still fiddling it with his fingers as he reaches the vehicle. He does not need to knock when the door slides open, revealing the person he has dreaded to see the most.

“For an actor you’re pretty bad at controlling your expressions,” Kyungsoo comments, bemused, resting comfortably against the seat sideways as he peers up at him. As usual, his expression is calm, never giving anything away sans the slight changes in his tone every now and then. “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, did you? Or was that side occupied last night?” The last part had come out mumbled, but he hears it loud and clear anyway.

He chooses to not entertain the questions, climbing into the van and flopping onto the empty seat next to the man before sliding the door shut behind him. He throws a nod in Junmyeon’s direction in greeting, who merely replies with an apologetic smile through the front view mirror in return. 

Sometimes he wonders what their relationship would be like if Kyungsoo has the personality of his manager.

It would probably be much, much better than whatever they have right now.

Kyungsoo is still looking at him, and he pauses, hand awkwardly paused over his neck.

He grumbles out, “What is it?” 

Today’s one of those days where he, for whatever unknown reason, woke up feeling like utter crap, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back to bed and hide under the covers until he feels better enough to be a functioning human being again. It is definitely not an ideal mindset to have, considering later he is required to sit his ass through a boring award show for hours while pretending to enjoy every second of it in an effort to maintain the polite, good-mannered celebrity image that he is known to have.

So, really, he is far from interested to go for a round of the ever-so thrilling ‘insult your co-star that you're supposed to be in love with’ game with Kyungsoo today, knowing that it will inadvertently further spoil his mood because the man knows just exactly which buttons to push, and when to push them. 

Kyungsoo’s talent isn’t acting, it’s annoying the fuck out of Jongin just by simply breathing.

He lets out a small huff, deciding to ignore the other for the rest of the car ride when all of a sudden, he feels hands grasping his collar. 

Completely taken aback and bewildered by the unexpected touch, he looks to his left, mouth opening, ready to tell Kyungsoo off, but the man simply, and rather softly pushes his hand away from the bow tie hanging loosely around his neck to tie it properly for him. 

Kyungsoo looks focused as he ducks down, his small, dainty fingers looping and tugging the bow tie like he has done this a million times. And Jongin knows he has. 

Jongin has never been really good with this stuff. That is the reason he tells himself to explain why he ends up shutting his mouth and just lets the man continue doing what he’s doing, even though he can feel the goosebumps starting to rise on his skin at their close proximity. 

It’s not that he is not used to being up close and personal with Kyungsoo, far from it actually. Hell, it is basically part of his job now, but he is only used to it happening with the accompaniment of large cameras and an entire filming crew watching their every move, or in some cases like today, a crowd of screaming fans staring at them like the celebrated stars that they are. 

It feels oddly intimate and weird to do this when they have nobody to sell and show off their _closeness_ to. 

After what feels like hours, the man finally finishes tying and faces the front, face still devoid of any emotion.

“It was bugging the fuck out of me.” Kyungsoo says, as if that totally explains what just happened, immediately turning his head to the left to look out the window as a sign that he would not speak to him any further.

That’s one of his talents, too, because it takes a really special person to have Jongin completely rendered speechless by a single sentence. 

_Special_. He instantly feels a spike of irritation at the word that his brain just supplied. 

_That doesn’t feel right at all._

Wordlessly, he turns to his right, making sure to leave as wide of a gap as possible between the two of them while glaring at every car that passes by while trying to not glance at Kyungsoo’s back reflected in the window.

The silence is suffocating, as it has always been when they are alone with nobody around, so he’s more than relieved when the van comes to a halt. The windows are only tinted on the outside, which is why he can clearly see the long red carpet with a crowd of reporters and roaring fans standing at the sidelines that will greet him as soon as he gets out of the vehicle. Some of them are already looking at their car, flashing cameras and various smartphones pointed in their direction in anticipation.

“Okay! Me and Junmyeon will meet you guys backstage later.” Baekhyun looks back at them, looking slightly uncomfortable but still trying his best to give them a smile while pumping his fists encouragingly. “Are you guys ready?”

“Yeah,” he answers, feeling bad for his manager. He turns to his left once again, and holds out his hand to Kyungsoo. “Let’s go.” 

Kyungsoo looks down at his offered hand, lips formed into a thin line, and then glances back up at him.

He frowns back, eyebrows furrowed. 

“What? Come on.” He says in a rushed manner, shaking his hand and making a show of rolling his eyes. Deep down he knows that he sounds way more exasperated than he actually is, but he has felt the need to remind Kyungsoo that it is, in fact, a huge burden for him to spend any more seconds with him in a confined space.

Kyungsoo smiles then, but it’s the type of smile that looks like he’s about to punch somebody in the face, and takes his hand. Jongin responds with a smile of his own, sickeningly sweet, suddenly feeling smug from the other’s reaction. 

The door slides open, and they're instantly greeted by the excited cheers of their fans.

“Look! Look! It’s Jongin and Kyungsoo!” 

"Oh my god, they're holding hands!"

“KaDi! We love you!” 

He gets off first, peeking over his shoulder to see Kyungsoo scooting towards him. He makes sure to maintain the smile on his face. Smiling within the same vicinity as Kyungsoo typically takes a tremendous amount of effort, but it is certainly a lot easier to do it at that very moment, especially when he can hear people throwing compliments in his way, yelling about how good looking he is. 

They walk down the red carpet, hand in hand, pausing once in a while to pose for a picture.

“Your hand is so sweaty.” Kyungsoo mutters under his breath in disgust, immediately pulling his hand out of his grip before hooking his arm around his own. Truly an outstanding actor, the expression on Kyungsoo’s face remains friendly and kind in spite of it all. He is even smiling widely as he waves and sends small finger-hearts in the fans’ direction. 

Jongin leans down to whisper into Kyungsoo’s ear, gritting his teeth.

“Do you intend to annoy me all night, _sweetheart_?”

He receives a raised eyebrow in return. 

“Is that a challenge, _babe_?” 

From an outsider’s perspective, they look like any other drama pairing, whispering to each other like the good friends, co-workers slash partners that they are supposed to be. Jongin has to refrain himself from rolling his eyes once more, and reminds himself to go into full actor Kim Jongin mode as they reach the interviewer who’s waiting at the end of the red carpet.

_It’s showtime._

“There they are! Our favourite couple has arrived. Welcome, Do Kyungsoo and Kim Jongin! The fans have been waiting for you two. Let’s just get straight to it: so, tell us, how does it feel to be the first gay pairing to be nominated in the best couple award?”

Kyungsoo untangles his arm from his and reaches down to grab his hand, turning towards the camera with a smile that is anything but subtle. Naturally, Jongin squeezes the man’s hand, and feels him doing the same, though with more force than necessary because he’s a little shit.

“It’s great that we’re able to make this kind of stride. I think that it is important to have such representation, especially in mainstream media. As more people in this country are becoming more accepting, I’m sure that we will see more LGBT stories and pairings shown in TV and film in the very near future. I’m definitely hopeful and excited for it.” He says into the mic, smiling widely. That was probably the only time where he is being sincere and truthful for tonight. “And I’m just happy that I get to experience this with Kyungsoo,” he adds, going back to lying again. He has basically mastered this skill.

“I’m glad that _oppa_ is my partner.” Kyungsoo interjects. The crowd screams once more at the infamous 'nickname', which started off as a mere joke, but has now become something that the man actually uses from time to time, especially when he is in his 'I'm-doing-my-best-to-piss-Jongin-off' mood. It does not help that the fans go crazy when he does it, finding it cute more than anything. “We make a really good team.”

They both whip their heads to look at each other, flashing well-practiced grins.

The interviewer sighs dramatically, clutching at her chest in an exaggerated manner. “Look at these two. I feel like I’m just the air, or maybe a ghost standing next to them right now. Anyway, do you plan to celebrate if you win the award tonight?”

Kyungsoo nods enthusiastically.

“Of course! I even promised Jongin I’d give him a reward if we do.” His smile turns into a suggestive smirk, resulting in another wave of screams from the fans.

“Oooh! What kind of reward would that be?”

“Well… that’s a secret.” He winks to the camera. 

Everyone seems to get even more riled up by the answer, catching the underlying meaning in the man’s words that is all but subtle, just as it is intended to be. A fan in the crowd screams _‘just kiss already!’_ , which earns a series of laughs from the others. 

Kyungsoo ducks his head down and rubs his neck in a shy manner while Jongin laughs, nudging him good-naturedly.

The woman then proceeds to ask them a few more questions, mostly regarding their current activities and future work, until the next celebrity arrives which signals the end of their interview. They thank both the interviewer as well as the audience, and wish everyone to have a great night and enjoy the award show before walking off, still holding each other’s hands. 

When they finally step into the building, away from the cameras, he pulls his hand away from Kyungsoo’s, and leans down once more to whisper, “You know the best reward you can give me is to leave me the fuck alone.”

Kyungsoo gives him a pat on the chest.

“Aw. Too bad we don’t always get what we want, right, big boy?”

Jongin is about to reply to him with something snarky, but immediately shuts up when they are stopped by a staff member before quickly being ushered to go to their assigned seats since the award will start very soon. 

Kyungsoo practically slumps into the chair and gives him a look, patting the empty seat next to him. 

“Well?” Kyungsoo tilts his head, eyebrows raised.

He sighs.

It is going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... here we go! There's not much, I know, but it's only the beginning.
> 
> See, I have a rough outline of the entire story (70% of it is in my head, of course) but knowing me, I'll probably end up winging it as I go (hence, the 'more tags to be added' tag. do keep an eye on the tags as the story progresses okay!). I'll try my best to update as regularly as I can, but please do not expect much from me. I plan to post chapter 1 as soon as possible, though. Stay tuned for that I guess.
> 
> Anyway. Thank you so much for reading. There were probably some errors that I've missed, I'll fix them if I catch any later. It took a lot of convincing for me to post this so I would appreciate it very much if you leave some feedback/comments! Also hit me up @kainnuendyo on twitter :)


	2. chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we all say thank you to N for being a wonderful (extremely) last minute beta !!! i love u <3 thank u for being so helpful and kind ;-; (apologies in advance if there are still some errors, i'll fix them later). 
> 
> Happy reading everyone!

**rewind**

No matter how many times he’d done this, auditions always made him feel jittery on the inside. 

When his agent had told him about a casting call for the main lead role for a new BL, he immediately agreed. The plot seemed interesting一it was about two idols of the same group who started off hating each other due to a stupid misunderstanding, but they ended up falling in love in the end. It had the kind of storyline that even the most casual of BL fans would find themselves drawn to watch.

Jongin was auditioning for the role of Oh Jiho. The charming main dancer who fell in love with the singer of the group, Lee Sungmin. Not only were the physical descriptions for the Oh Jiho perfectly aligned with his, but he also had a dancing background, which gave him more advantage and a higher chance to be chosen. It was almost like the character was inspired by him. 

Despite knowing all of this, he was still very, very nervous.

As he waited for his turn, his eyes swept over the people waiting in the hallway. There were a few familiar faces, mostly those whom he had met at previous auditions. Like him, they, too, opted to stay in the BL genre. It was gaining more and more popularity, and everybody, especially the ones who were just starting out, knew that this was one of the quickest ways for them to be able to break into the big screen. Unlike them, he stayed because he actually enjoyed acting in this particular genre. 

_And. Well. Getting paid to kiss cute boys is not all that bad when I’d done it for free before._

He froze when his gaze fell onto a familiar-looking man. 

He paused, blinking in surprise, as their eyes locked. Recognition lit up in the man’s eyes instantly, and his mouth twitched. There was a ghost of a smile spread across his lips, facial expression turning from neutral to somewhat amused.

Seeing that, he frowned, ducked his head down, and fixed his gaze onto the script in his hands instead. 

_Why is Do Kyungsoo here?_ He thought, chest constricting. He failed to notice that he was gripping the paper even tighter than before, practically crushing it under his clenched fists. There was a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. His stomach dropped as a wave of panic settled over him as he realized that there was only one reason. 

Do Kyungsoo, as far as he knew, had never dabbled in the BL genre. Sure, he was the more experienced actor between the two of them一much as he hated acknowledging that一but, still, Jongin was the one who had actually acted in a BL series before. 

He felt his stomach churning uncomfortably as his mind wondered what role Kyungsoo was auditioning for. 

_What if he’s auditioning for the role that I want?_

As if on cue, he heard Kyungsoo’s name being called. When the door closed shut, he took a few minutes to process what was going on, his mind reeling, and he contemplated on whether he should approach the man or not. However, in the end he decided that _fuck it_ , he _needed_ to ask. He needed to know what was going on, or else he would be bothered and distracted by his own thoughts, which was not a good state to be in before going into the audition room. 

Gathering his nerves, he walked up to Kyungsoo’s manager who was waiting for the actor outside.

Junmyeon, to his credit, did not look all that surprised when he came up to him.

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if I have a word with Kyungsoo before you two leave? Just for a moment.” 

Junmyeon looked skeptical at first, lips pursed as his eyes darted from the closed door to him tensely. He seemed to be in deep contemplation of whether or not he should say yes to the request, though he was unsure as to why. It wasn’t like he was planning to beat the man up or something. Eventually the manager relented, and gave him a slow, hesitant nod, still appearing to be quite conflicted.

Before the other could say anything, Jongin reassured him. “Relax. I’m not gonna hurt him.”

“Your track record says otherwise,” the man replied, voice small. He did not manage to reply to that when the door swung open, and Kyungsoo walked out. 

He looked confident, much to his chagrin, smiling from ear to ear as if he already knew that he was going to be casted.

The smile faltered as soon as he turned around, and was greeted by the sight of Jongin.

“What now?” There was exasperation in Kyungsoo’s voice. He watched as the smaller man sent a pleading look to his manager, who merely averted his eyes, looking guilty. 

“Can we talk?” 

Without wasting any moment, he took Kyungsoo by the arm, dragged him into a (thankfully empty) room, and closed the door shut behind him to not let anyone else walk in on them. They stood before each other. Kyungsoo still had a smug expression, but unlike previously, he seemed to close in on himself, looking less level-headed and collected, as he crossed his arms. Somehow he appeared a lot smaller than he already was.

“Wow, you didn’t even let me decide.” Kyungsoo broke the silence, chuckling dryly and shaking his head. 

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, completely ignoring the other’s words. Civility was long gone between the two of them; the idea that they could act anything less than insolent towards each other was so foreign, so unfamiliar for it to become a reality.

“ _Seriously_? God. I don’t have time for this.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, waving his hand dismissively. “Just say what you want to say, and leave me the fuck alone.” 

“I know you have something up your sleeve. You were smiling at me.”

“I was?” In a brief moment of confusion, Kyungsoo actually seemed genuinely surprised by that. The man recovered quickly though, schooling his expression back to perfect indifference. His mouth began to form a thin line. “Maybe the little fame that you’ve garnered has gotten to your head, but news flash, asshole一not everything revolves around _you_. You are _definitely_ not as important as you think you are. I came here with the same purpose as you.”

“What made you want to do BL?” He pressed on, still not satisfied with the man’s answer. There was this prickly feeling, and he was unable to shake it off. It bugged him. His tone turned into a sneer. “Is it that you’re finally tired of acting as a heterosexual man? And I don’t mean on screen.” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes flashed at that, understanding the implication in his words. Before Jongin knew it, there were fingers tugging at his collar, and he was roughly pulled down until his face was only a few inches away from the shorter man’s. His immediate response at their closeness would be to recoil, but he was unable to do so when Kyungsoo’s strong grip kept him in place. 

He had no choice but to stare back at him, rage bubbling up within him the longer he looked into the other’s eyes. 

“Fuck you,” was all Kyungsoo managed to say through gritted teeth after a few moments of silence. 

The man’s eyes were wide as they glared up at him. His otherwise pale skin was flushed red, nostrils flarings as he heaved, trying to prevent himself from exploding right there and there. Jongin could see the fury in his eyes, could feel his hot breath on him. 

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he had crossed the line, but at that moment he was still too furious to care. His pride would not allow him to feel any remorse for his own words or actions.

Why should he feel bad for being a dick when Kyungsoo had given him the same treatment, anyway? The man had no problem saying hurtful things to him before. Kyungsoo had also crossed the line the last time they interacted. His twisted mind couldn’t help but think that, in a way, they were even now. 

“I hope you’ll fail the audition so I don’t have to see your face.”

He let out a scoff at the lame reply. 

“You sound so sure that you’ll pass.”

“Well, even _you_ know that I will. That’s why you dragged me in here, right?” 

Kyungsoo flashed a sardonic smile, his grip immediately loosening as his shoulders deflated, and his body slowly relaxed. 

Jongin staggered out of the grip. His hand automatically came up to his neck, trying to even his breathing. It was not like he was actually being choked, but it still felt like he was suffocating. 

“Afraid that I’ll steal your spotlight, aren’t you? Well… I can’t help that I’m a better actor than you.” Kyungsoo tilted head coyly, tossing him a careless shrug before making his way out of the room. “Not that I have any tough competition to worry about. Most of the actors in this particular genre aren’t exactly known for their acting anyway. Just from my _humble_ observation, of course.”

“If you think that way, then let me ask you again. Why _the fuck_ are you here?”

Kyungsoo paused, turning around to look at him. His eyes were unreadable. 

Everything about Kyungsoo was puzzling to him, and he could not help but feel frustrated. 

He was always good at reading people. He could guess what they were thinking, what they wanted, specifically from him, and from there, he would begin to formulate the best course of action in response to it. That was why he was well-liked by many because he knew, somehow, what sort of behavior or reaction that they expected from him. 

Well. Except for one person.

Kyungsoo never gave anything away, and when he did show a glimpse of vulnerability, something that Jongin had been unsure if the man even possessed, the rare moment would pass by too quickly for him to be able to catch it. He wanted to know all of the man’s weaknesses. He could not even begin to fathom why he wanted to, why it gnawed at him, but he was not going to一he absolutely _refused_ to think about it.

Jongin had started to wonder if _he_ was the one who was being read like an open book.

“The answer is simple, really,” Kyungsoo lifted his hand and patted him on the chest, smiling smugly upon noticing how he had flinched at the contact. “It’s... none of your fucking business, Kim Jongin.” 

The man did not close the door as he stormed out. 

His eyes met Junmyeon’s.

The man said nothing, only sending him a look of disappointment before turning in his heel to follow Kyungsoo. 

-

He would be lying if he said he was not surprised to receive a call from his agent, announcing that he had indeed passed his audition and landed the role that he initially wanted. It was terrific news, because it meant that for the first time ever since the start of his career, he was to play the main lead. 

This was going to be his big break, he was sure of it. 

He was more than ready for it. 

_“I’m sorry I can’t join you for the screen testing, but I told Baekhyun to take care of you and handle some matters on my behalf.”_

“That’s fine,” he replied. He had his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder, as he walked down the hallway, smoothing his shirt to make sure nothing was out of place. “Feeling kind of nervous, actually.” He confessed a few seconds later, grimacing, as one hand shot up to rub his ear. It was a habit that developed when he was young. He was ready, yes, but that did not mean that he was not feeling anxious. 

_“You’re always like that. Don’t let those voices inside your pretty little head stop you from reaching your full potential, Jongin. You’re a great guy.”_

_But am I a great actor? Am I good enough?_ He badly wanted to ask, but stopped himself before the words could leave his mouth. Instead, he inhaled deeply before letting out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down. 

“Thank you, Jongdae. I’m heading to the meeting room now. Can’t wait to see who I’ll be acting with. You think it’s another pretty boy from that ‘idol produce’ show like the last time? They always cast them. Too bad these sorts are one-time BL actors.”

 _“Don’t worry about it. You’ll find out soon enough. Be nice.”_ Jongdae warned him.

“What are you talking about? I’m always nice.” 

_“Ha. Well. I’ll talk to you soon, Jongin. Good luck!”_

The line went dead. 

_That was weird_ , he thought for a moment, but then brushed it off. He knew that Jongdae was busy. He paused as he reached the meeting room, feeling a wave of anxiety washing over him as he stared at the door. 

It was unnerving. 

He felt like he was back in the early days of his career. Young, anxious, but hopeful. The dreams he had back then were the same ones he was still trying to achieve now. He was still young, still so anxious, but still so hopeful. He had always been ambitious. However, he could feel the pressure, as the sudden realization of the role that he was about to take hit him, weighing him down, and it was slowly starting to overwhelm him.

_Calm down._

“You can do this, kid.” Baekhyun said, flashing an encouraging smile while patting him on the back. He nodded, took a deep breath and opened the door. 

Inside, there were about five people in the room, most of which were familiar faces. It appeased some of the tension that he was feeling. 

“Hello, I’m Kim Jongin.” He bowed briefly, and then extended a hand in greeting. He was met with a familiar face. “Wonshik! Excited to be working with you.” He beamed, shaking hands with the man. 

“Glad to see you again, Jongin.” Wonshik replied, smiling cheerfully.

He already met Wonshik during the first audition, but it was actually not his first time working with the director. The man had directed the BL series that he acted in before, back when he was merely a supporting character. He had always liked Wonshik’s vision and direction, so naturally, he was more than thrilled to find out that the man would be in charge of the series. 

“You’ve met our writers before, right?” Wonshik gestured to the two writers. He had met with Ten and Kibum during the audition. Even though the meeting had been brief, he knew that he would enjoy working with them because they seemed like nice, funny guys. Plus, they were both very passionate and proud of their work. After reading through the script, he could confidently say that they had every right to be proud as they were indeed good at what they do. “And, of course, this is Mr. Kim. Our producer.” 

He could not help but let out a surprised noise at that. Though he never saw him in real life, he had heard about Kim Moonkyu. It would be pretty weird if he didn’t, what with him working in the industry and all. The man had produced many successful dramas, including BL. However, the man before him was far from what he imagined. He could have sworn the man was part of the staff, perhaps one of the assistants. He definitely did not carry himself like the producer that he was. He certainly did not look like one either, appearing quite younger than what he had originally assumed. 

“Mr. Kim. It’s very nice to meet you.” He said, shaking the man’s hand before taking a seat.

“Just call me Moonkyu,” the man smiled, leaning back against his seat in a relaxed manner. He was far less intimidating than he had expected, too. “We’re still waiting for the other one, right?” He asked no one in particular, and received a nod from Wonshik. 

The director kept glancing at his wrist watch impatiently, looking less calm in comparison to the producer, who was already pulling up his phone to scroll through his Instagram.

“I’m here! I’m here!”

Jongin’s heart stopped at the familiar voice. He could feel his smile freeze as he stared at the man who just entered the room.

“I’m so sorry that I’m late! I didn’t know that traffic would be that awful.” Kyungsoo apologized profusely, bowing a few times. Unlike the last time he saw him, the man had his hair down. He could tell that the unkemptness was not a styling choice because his natural curls were showing, and judging by the very minimal makeup he had on, he could deduce that traffic was one of the many other reasons for the tardiness. 

Of course, even with light makeup, Kyungsoo still looked like he could be in a photoshoot. 

His stomach churned uncomfortably, and he had to look away before he let the man completely ruin his mood, which had been pretty good until a few seconds ago. 

Inwardly, he was screaming, feeling frustrated by the unexpected turn of events. Was that why Jongdae was behaving oddly? The man knew about this, and he chose to not say anything until the day of the screen test, in fear that he would immediately call it quits if he found out about whom he was going to be acting with. 

Sure, he knew that he could be temperamental and occasionally petty一only to those that deserve the treatment, of course一but stupid he was not. He would never jeopardize his career by rejecting a big acting role over some irritating dickhead, no matter how much hatred and loathe he harbored for him.

He made a mental note to text his agent and give him a piece of his mind later. Knowing Jongdae, though, the man probably had shut his phone off right after their call. 

Kim Moonkyu, due to ignorance, or perhaps in an exemplary display of professionalism, seemed to ignore the fact that the room had fallen into complete silence, and that there was a gradually growing tension between his two main actors, as he clasped his hands and offered Kyungsoo a wide, welcoming smile. 

“Ah yes! The man that we’ve been waiting for.”

“I’m really sorry,” Kyungsoo continued, bowing once more. He seemed to recognize Moonkyu, as he immediately went to shake the man’s hand. “Mr. Kim! I’ve kept you waiting. I apologise.” The producer only shook his head, smiling reassuringly. 

Jongin felt a spike of jealousy running through him. 

_Of course, he knows the producer._

“It’s fine, Kyungsoo. We haven’t even started. Come sit down. I think introductions would be rather unnecessary and pretty redundant, right? I’m sure you two are well-acquainted already. As everyone is already aware of it, Kyungsoo will be playing as Lee Sungmin, the love interest for Oh Jiho, played by Jongin.” Wonshik explained, fixing his glasses as he read the script in his hands. 

Everyone but him, apparently.

 _Oh god_. 

Maybe he was _not_ all that ready for it.

Kyungsoo grinned, leaning across the table and reaching a hand out to offer a handshake.

“Of course! We’ve met each other so many times. We’re practically best friends.” The man said cheerfully, earning a couple of chuckles from the others in the room. He could not help but notice how Baekhyun and Junmyeon both laughed louder than the rest, almost high-pitched. If awkwardness could kill a man, he would be dead by now. 

“Yes. Best friends.” He managed to return the man’s friendly smile with one of his own, reaching forward to take the hand into his. It felt cold, just like the expression that flashed across Kyungsoo’s face for a brief moment as they shook hands. 

_We’re both great actors_ , he briefly mused. His frown deepened as he wondered if Kyungsoo already knew about them acting together because he did not seem as surprised as he was.

Wonshik stood up, catching everyone’s attention. “Alright, now that’s settled, I think we can get down to business. Since this is Kyungsoo’s first BL role, I think additional workshop sessions would be necessary, yeah? Just to help you get used to it.”

Kyungsoo nodded in response, the corners of his lips curling into a small, amused smile.

“Some people aren’t used to kissing boys, you know. They need to be properly trained.” Kibum spoke up, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly at his own joke.

Jongin had a witty reply to the statement. It was just at the tip of his tongue, but with a great amount of effort, he merely bit back whatever words that he was about to say, and sat there in silence like the good, kind man that he was. Jongdae would be proud. Plus, the last thing he wanted was for Kyungsoo to jump over the table and start choking him. 

As if knowing what was on his mind, the actor sent a threatening look in his way, no longer trying to seem friendly. 

“So, for today, we’ll only do the screen test.” Wonshik shot a quick glance at Moonkyu, kind of nervously, but the man simply nodded in response. Seemingly satisfied by that, the director immediately asked the assistant to help set the camera up before calling for the two actors to stand in the middle of the room where the tables and chairs had been cleared up. 

“Ready? Jongin?”

“Yes.” He replied, straightening his shoulders. 

“Yeah.” Kyungsoo said, blinking up at him with his wide eyes. The heart-shaped smile was back on his blemish-less face, which Jongin noted with a flare of envy.

Standing in front of each other, the man appeared to be smaller. He knew he carried more height between the two of them, but now, he truly felt like he was towering over him. Admittedly, he was smug by their height and overall size difference. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, did not seem at all phased or bothered by it, still looking up at him with a quirk of his eyebrows. He was confident as ever. Actually, he looked quite amused more than anything. 

Jongin felt irritated again, the prickly feeling coming back, always an unwelcome guest, but he quickly shook the feeling away, trying his best to get into character. He would not allow himself to be distracted by the likes of Kyungsoo. Even if his head was still full of various thoughts, like ‘ _why did he accept the offer?’_ , ‘ _why is this guy so calm while I’m freaking the fuck out?’_ , and ‘ _is the red hue on his cheeks natural or simply makeup?’._

_Stop._

_Calm down._

Right now, he was Jiho, and standing before him is the love of his life, Sungmin. 

He could do this. 

“1, 2, 3… Action!”

-

**play**

“Why are you here?” Kyungsoo asks, not bothering to look at him as he takes a seat next to him on the park bench. There is a sad, bitter smile playing on his face. Either his eyes are naturally watery, or he appears to be holding back his tears.

“Because you’re here,” he replies with a quiet chuckle, trying to lighten the atmosphere up as he nudges Kyungsoo in the elbow. It is to no avail, as the man simply says nothing, looking into the distance with his eyes unfocused, deep in thought. His lips are pursed, and his nose is scrunched as if he is thinking about something unpleasant. It is obvious that the man is sulking.

“Why aren’t you with your girlfriend? Go and be with your dream girl.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend.” 

“Liar,” Kyungsoo bites back, appearing to be angry now. He doesn’t spare a glance at Jongin at all since he has sat down. “I saw you with her earlier. We’ve known each other for so long, and I know that girl is neither your sister nor your cousin.”

He tries not to smile at the blatant display of jealousy that the other man is emitting. He cannot help but find it adorable. Quietly, he reaches behind him, and all of a sudden, he is holding a tub of Buskin-Reuberns' white chocolate and strawberry-flavoured ice cream, offering it to Kyungsoo. He is fully grinning now, unable to hide his smile any longer.

“Here. For you.”

Hearing that, the man before him turns to see what he is holding. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open in barely-concealed surprise, eyes darting back from the ice cream to his face. 

“What…?”

“You misunderstood the situation. I was actually asking her where she bought this because I saw her eating it. I wanted to buy it for you.”

“Love spell.” Kyungsoo notes, smiling as he looks at the ice cream.

“Yes, I know that this is your favourite flavour. I know that you love Buskin-Reuberns’ ice cream. I know everything about you because I... I like you,” he says, but then pauses, lifting himself off before going down on one knee. He holds the tub of ice cream like he is holding a ring box, opening the lid to show the ice cream inside. 

“I have a serious question to ask you. Would… would you _berry_ me?”

The smaller man beams at that, letting out a laugh as he throws his head back. 

“Ugh, you’re so cheesy,” Kyungsoo says, but he is still smiling, looking shy now. 

“I changed my mind then. Give the ice cream back.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, reaches down to cradle Jongin’s jaw, and gently pulls him up by the chin. Their faces are so close, and he thinks they would be kissing but Kyungsoo suddenly dips his finger into the ice cream before swiping it across his lip, grinning teasingly. 

“Yes, I will _berry_ you.” 

Jongin giggles and grabs Kyungsoo by the back of his neck, leaning forward so that he, too, can taste the ice cream一

“And… cut! That’s a wrap! Great job guys.”

Almost instantaneously, they pull away from each other, smiles vanishing. 

“ _God_.” He hears Kyungsoo mumble under his breath, barely hiding his grimace. Funnily enough, he agrees with him.

He stands up, and without thinking, holds out his hand for Kyungsoo to take. The man looks at his hand like it’s the first time he has ever seen a human hand in his life, before looking away and standing up by himself. He resists the urge to roll his eyes, and quickly turns around to thank the filming crew for their hard work before walking off the set, not bothering to wait for his co-star.

He immediately spots his manager, sitting side by side with Kyungsoo’s. They appear to be conversing rather animatedly, though it’s mostly Baekhyun enthusing about god-knows-what, and Junmyeon listening to every word he spews with rapt interest, eyes unblinking. They’re both smiling from ear to ear, and the flush across their cheeks is unmistakable. 

“Hey.” He can’t help but feel bad when he reaches closer and gives them a small wave to get their attention, feeling as if he’s interrupting something. Judging by the sheepish look on both of their faces, he knows that he _did_ interrupt them. 

“Jongin!” Baekhyun stands up, patting him on the back. “Nice job there.”

Raising an eyebrow, he asks, “You were paying attention?” He does not miss the chance to send a knowing look that is all but discreet to Junmyeon’s way. The man lets out an awkward cough, immediately jumping from his seat as if he was struck by lightning, and excuses himself to go find Kyungsoo.

“That’s the last shoot for today. Let’s get you out of those clothes and go home.” Jongin doesn’t miss the way his manager glosses over his question. They both walk to the dressing room. Jongin takes his time, though, because he does not feel like bumping into Kyungsoo after what had transpired between the two of them earlier. 

It appears that when they are promoting as a couple, it means that everything has to be shared, including dressing rooms. He has stopped complaining about it long ago, and would just loiter around until Kyungsoo was done using the room so he could use it. It is petty, he can admit that, but he’s sure that the other is more than grateful to not spend any more time with him alone.

However, when he opens the door, Kyungsoo is still inside, except this time he is not alone.

“Thank you but I shouldn’t...”

“Please. I insist.”

Lee Areum is the actress that they filmed with, so it isn’t all that shocking to see her wandering around the set. Although it _is_ weird that she would still be here, much less in _their_ dressing room, Jongin mentally notes, considering she has no other scenes left to shoot.

What is even more surprising and weird, however, is the way she is stammering as she offers Kyungsoo a tub of ice cream, though it is not the one that they were shooting with earlier. It seems that she had bought it specifically for the man. She is smiling shyly. Her fair skin makes the flush on her face all the more noticeable. 

It is clear what her intention is, looking at the astounding effort that she is showcasing. Coming up to their dressing room to hand Kyungsoo a gift and all. In fact, it appears that everyone in the room can sense it, including Kyungsoo himself, judging by the way he is smiling weakly at the girl. He looks like he’s almost grimacing.

“Kyungsoo likes mint chocolate.” He finds himself saying, instantly regretting it when Kyungsoo’s smile anguishes at the sound of his voice, his eyes narrowing in his direction.

Areum nods sheepishly, lowering her hands as she looks at the ice cream, lips pursed in consideration. He can’t help but notice how she has taken a few steps back, increasing the gap between her and Kyungsoo, upon realizing his presence. 

“No, he’s wrong,” Kyungsoo says then, taking the ice cream from the woman’s hand. He does not smile. In fact, he actually appears rather annoyed, which makes Areum squirm uncomfortably even more, looking like she wants to leave. “I really like this flavour, actually. Thank you.” The man says, sounding curt and crisp. She nods once more, and then bows, though rather awkwardly. She immediately excuses herself and scurries away before any of them can say anything.

She does, however, pause briefly when she passes by him, turning to bow. For some reason, there is a look of understanding on her face, her eyes sparkling in both curiosity and interest as they dart back and forth between the two of them. It irks him a lot, even though he’s not even sure why.

“You seem pretty upset一 _oh_. Sorry. Did I interrupt something _important_?” He asks, tone sarcastic, as soon as the woman leaves the room.

Kyungsoo’s head whips in his direction, and without any warning, he stomps towards him. He comes closer, gives him a glare, and shoves the tub of ice cream against his chest. 

“Take it.”

“What? I like mint chocolate.” He says, trying to shove the container away but Kyungsoo does not relent, instead presses in further, still staring up at him. His eyes are wide, and full of emotions that he cannot even begin to decipher. Regardless, he feels a shiver running up his spine. The ice cream feels cold against his chest. 

Kyungsoo tilts his head then, giving him a look that says _I don’t care what you like or don’t like_. He ends up taking it as he does not want to ruin the shirt, huffing in frustration when the smaller man’s mouth twitches ever so slightly. 

“See you, _oppa_.” Kyungsoo says dryly, no trace of the typical amusement or smugness in his expression. The man reaches up to pat him on the chest, right on the wet patch that had formed on his shirt, and turns around to leave. 

He glowers at Kyungsoo’s retreating back. He hates how Kyungsoo always wants to have the last word. He knows that the man thinks he’s the shit for doing it, which makes it all the more infuriating for him. 

One of these days, he will not let him have the last word. 

-

When he gets into the van, Baekhyun is pointing at the ice cream that he’s holding, eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. 

“Did you take that from the set?”

“No.” 

“Oh. Well. I know you don’t really like the flavour. You can give it to me if you don’t want to.”

“No,” he answers quickly, surprising both Baekhyun and himself. “It’s fine. I’ll eat it.” 

“Okay. Whatever you say, kid.”

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things to note:
> 
> 1) The ice cream brand was not an autocorrection mistake. I intentionally wrote it that way just to avoid legal issues (because i'm just paranoid).  
> 2) The ice cream scene is sort of inspired by/a reference to [this iconic gay ass thai cornetto ad.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV1u4SNkays)
> 
> I'd like to apologize for putting out this chapter so late. I intended to publish it a few days ago but I had stuff to do, and also I procrastinated a lot etc etc so it had to be delayed :( I can't promise but I'll try to manage my time better and upload consistently.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> I appreciate it so much if you give me your feedback/comments! I'm trying to improve as I write, so it'd be very helpful to hear what are your thoughts on it. Do you like it so far? Are they too mean to each other? Or not mean enough? Do you want more Moonkyu and Wonshik? SJAFHSAFJAS even if you wanna scream at me with lots caps lock I'll welcome it happily because reading comments from all of you wonderful people really boosts my motivation and makes me want to write more !!!! :D
> 
> I'm @kainnuendyo on twitter (but you probably know this). See you in the next chapter mwah <3


	3. chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always a big fat thank you to N for being a wonderful last minute beta and ego booster mwah mwah kiss kiss <3 (ofc if there are still any errors i'll fix them later!)

**rewind**

“Workshop starts next week," was what Jongdae said as soon as the man slid onto the seat, closing the door shut behind him.

“Is it really necessary for me to attend? Last time there weren’t as many sessions.” Jongin whined, and nudged his foot against Jongdae’s leg, reaching up to press it into the man’s thigh as he rested against the seat of the van on his side. 

In spite of the oddly playful mood he was in, there was still a feeling of fatigue that was weighing him down. He loved modelling, and he was more than happy to receive modelling gigs even when he had started to focus more on acting, but he had to admit that a day full of magazine photoshoots could really drain a person. He wanted nothing more than to go back home and get his well-deserved rest.

“Wonshik said that Kyungsoo needs more guidance since this is his first BL gig and all. He can’t act without his partner. You should help him.” 

Amused, he watched Jongdae click his tongue in annoyance. The agent’s face remained neutral, though, with his eyes entirely stuck on the screen of his phone, fingers typing at a fast pace as his other hand reached down to swat his foot away. It was almost impressive that the man had mastered the skill of typing with one way, almost as amazing as his skill of expressing his emotions through mere sounds rather than expressions.

“The ‘Leonardo DiCaprio of Korea’ needs _help_ from _me_? Ha.” He held up his fingers in air quotes, rolling his eyes. 

It was a nickname he saw that one day he accidentally stumbled upon a fan forum, which held discussions about various Korean actors that acted. They acted in only het dramas, so he, naturally, was not included, which he could not decide if that was a good thing or not. He was not sure how he ended up reading about their thoughts on Kyungsoo, but he was not amused reading the praises and compliments. It was especially grating when they started gushing about his on-screen and off-screen chemistry with his beautiful co-stars, and began to fan cast him with different actresses for his future projects.

Deep down, he could not deny that it amused him, somewhat, knowing that Kyungsoo ended up partnering with a man in his next project.

Even though that man was him.

The good news was that the screen test went pretty smoothly, along with the script reading session that happened a couple of days later. Knowing that they deemed him good enough to play as Oh Jiho soothed some of the anxiety that he had been feeling for the past couple of weeks, but he was still feeling irrational and miffed ever since he found out that Kyungsoo had also passed.

They were really going to be acting on screen. 

Together. 

As lovers, as boyfriends, as romantic partners.

Even the thought of it made his skin crawl, but he told himself repeatedly that he had to stay professional. He was on a mission to not only prove to people that he deserved to play the main role, but also to show Kyungsoo that he was a force to be reckoned with.

Jongin wanted to see the man’s reaction when he realized that he was going to lose to him.

Maybe then he would finally be able to see his weaknesses.

“What’s your problem, actually?” Jongdae put his phone down, finally turning his head to look at him. Despite the light tone, his face was serious, eyeing him with an inquiring look on his face. “Why do you hate him so much?”

“You’ve met him, haven’t you?" Jongdae nodded. "Well. There’s your answer.”

“What? Sure, he’s a bit weird and aloof, yeah, but definitely not as bad as you _always_ say he is. He was pretty nice when I talked to him.” His agent raised his eyebrow at the word ‘always’, titled his head, and went back to staring at his phone. 

He could not help but make a face at the underlying meaning of it. As opposed to what Jongdae had just implied, he did not talk about Kyungsoo all the time. It was just that Kyungsoo had been quite a constant in his life as of lately, not by choice obviously, hence why he had been ranting about the man. But it certainly was _not_ always, just sometimes. Only when he felt particularly frustrated or tired.

“Yeah? How’s that like?” He asked, eyes wide in mock curiosity.

“How’s _what_ like?”

“Being on the receiving end of his cordiality? I’m quite inexperienced in that.”

Jongdae made a show of rolling his eyes. “Gee, I don’t know, Jongin. Sounds like you’re just being petty because he doesn’t get on his knees and kiss your feet like most people do when they meet you.”

He could not stop the shudder that ran up his spine at the unwarranted image that entered his brain. He turned around in his seat so he was resting on his back, crossed his legs, and looked out of the window so Jongdae would not see the grimace on his face. Goosebumps rose on his skin at the prospect of actual kissing that was to ensue between him and Kyungsoo when they started working together on the series, both during workshop and filming. 

The script made sure to not leave any details out, even the more intimate, or as he would often call them, fanservice scenes. Ten and Kibum definitely did not hold back when they wrote them; he would commend them, if they had not decided to cast Kyungsoo as his partner and unknowingly made his life more difficult.

And Jongdae was wrong on that. On the contrary, it was _him_ who would go around kissing people’s feet. At least back in his early days.

He raised an eyebrow, letting out a scoff in disbelief. “So you agree that he’s being a dick to me specifically? I’m the _chosen one_?”

“Oh, come on. It’s not like you’re nice to him either. Couldn't even act all that civil in front of Kim Moonkyu!" His eyes widened, and then shot a glare at Baekhyun, who had been looking at them through the front view mirror, a guilty expression on his face. "Of course Baekhyun would tell me. So. Explain. What on earth happened between the two of you?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of a ringing phone. Jongdae held his hand up, bringing his phone to his ear and speaking quietly into it. He was glad that they reached his resident as soon as his agent was finished with his phone call, not feeling like he wanted to talk anymore. All he could think about was taking a warm bath. 

The other man seemed to understand as he merely patted him on the back, telling him to get plenty of rest, and prepare himself well before the workshops begin. 

“Remind me later to ask you about this beef that has been going on with you and pretty boy.” Jongdae said with a teasing wink. Next to him, Baekhyun was shaking his head in exasperation.

Jongin frowned at that, wanting to say _‘I’m not your agent’_ and _‘he’s not_ that _pretty’_ , but decided against it, and simply waved at them both in a dismissive manner. 

If there was one thing that bothered him more than the infuriating quirk of Kyungsoo’s mouth, it was the deafening silence that greeted him every time he stepped into his apartment. Growing up in a small household, what with two loud older sisters who nag at him constantly, his current home felt too big, too spacious, too quiet for his liking.

His feet dragged him to the kitchen, only to find containers of food that were sent by his mother on the counter. They consisted of side-dishes as well as various types of _kimchi_. His schedule was getting more packed, which he was not at all complaining, of course, but it was difficult to see his family as often as he wanted to. Sometimes he would have Baekhyun send them food, just as a treat every once in a while, despite his mom’s protests that he was the one who needed to eat more.

He smiled as he read the note attached to one of the containers. He made a mental note to call his family tomorrow.

_‘Break a leg, son! Always proud of you. Love, Mom.’_

“I will, Mom.”

-

**play**

He peeks into the room, sighing in relief when he finds that it’s empty just like he had hoped it would be, and drags his feet inside before dumping his bag onto the couch. 

“How many today?” He asks his manager, shrugging out of his t-shirt and jeans. He is more than grateful that Baekhyun had prepared ahead of time by telling the stylist to prepare the outfit for him since he was going to run late due to a prior schedule that lasted longer than he expected.

Judging by the branded t-shirt and blazer combo, it seems like they’re going for a smart casual look for the interview sessions today. 

“Only two. Rakuten and All About BL. Here’s the list of the questions,” Baekhyun reaches into his bag to hand him the papers. “Don’t worry. Junmyeon and I already made sure that they removed the ones that you two wouldn’t be able to answer. Of course, you’ll also be playing some games too.”

He makes a face at that. It is not his first time being interviewed after all, so he can pretty much guess what kind of games that they will have to play, such as ‘this or that’ or the pepero kiss. He knows that the interviewers are expecting to see how well Kyungsoo and Jongin know each other, how close they are, and how good their chemistry is. Those sort of things that fuel fans to ship them even more because of how cute they are. Or whatever. 

“Okay. Cool.”

As if sensing what was on his mind, Baekhyun speaks up again. “Do you need anything else?” 

“Yeah. Can you get a bottle of water? I’m thirsty as hell. And say hi to Junmyeon for me!” He quickly adds, smirking.

His manager nods, with his face flushing red at the last part, and scurries out of the room.

He’s in the middle of pulling his pants up when, all of a sudden, his ears catch familiar voices outside the room, none of which belongs to either Baekhyun or Jongdae, that are becoming increasingly louder as they approach closer. He immediately turns around when he hears the sound of the door opening, already too late to cover himself up.

“Wait, Junmyeon, I think I left my phone in here一”

Kyungsoo looks taken aback, standing frozen still with his hand holding onto the door handle with his mouth slightly open. He watches as the man’s gaze briefly drops down before it snaps back up to his face.

“Oh.”

“Ever heard of knocking, dumbass?” He asks in a deadpan manner, putting on his shirt and quickly buttoning it up. Admittedly, he is feeling quite flustered, even though he does not show it. 

He has no problem showing his body whatsoever. Being a BL actor, he is used to being half-naked on camera to shoot various random gratitious shower scenes一that serve little to nothing to the actual plot一for no absolute reason other than to satisfy and cater to the female gaze of the predominantly heterosexual female BL audience. 

_It’s just embarrassing because it’s Kyungsoo._

Kyungsoo looks like he’s about to say something, perhaps to apologise for the intrusion, but then seemingly decides against it, peeling his eyes off of him as he steps inside to snatch his phone off the dressing table.

The man halts in his track.

Jongin waits for him to speak, eyebrows furrowed in anticipation.

“You messed up your buttons, _dumbass_.” Kyungsoo finally says, turns in his heel, and storms out of the room like the human tornado that he is, closing the door shut behind him.

He looks down and finds that he did, in fact, mess up his buttons. He would find it rather impressive that the man would notice such a small detail 一though perhaps that’s simply because Kyungsoo is a judgmental prick who wants to point out every flaw that he has to boost his own ego一 if he isn’t so embarrassed by what just happened. 

-

The first interview went by pretty smoothly. 

Jongin had been interviewed by Rakuten Viki before, so he knows that their interviews are typically short. Just a simple quick sit-down interview 一which is something he is grateful for because these things are always such a drag to go through一 in a small but well-decorated set. It is even better since there’s no annoying, overly cheerful host who will be asking them questions. Instead, they will be prompted off-camera by the producer who is standing next to the cameraman. 

Luckily enough, they were already given a script prior to the actual filming for today’s interview, so they already knew what questions to expect, and how to answer them.

“Can you introduce yourselves?”

“Hello! My name is Kim Jongin, and I play Oh Jiho.” 

“My name is Do Kyungsoo, and I play the character Lee Sungmin. We’re from the new series ‘Love’s So Sweet’!” 

“Can you tell the viewers what ‘Love’s So Sweet’ is about?”

On cue, he leans forward and speaks up. “‘Love’s So Sweet’ is about two idols in one group. Oh Jiho, the dancer of the group, started disliking the main vocal Lee Sungmin because of a misunderstanding that occurred way before they had debuted in the same group,” He pauses, and sends a glance in Kyungsoo’s direction, motioning for him to continue the explanation like they practiced earlier.

“However, after getting to know each other more, they slowly become good friends.” Kyungsoo continues seamlessly, and turns to look at Jongin. Their eyes meet. “It becomes complicated when Lee Sungmin starts to realize that he actually has feelings for Oh Jiho and distances himself from his friend in order to stop his feelings.” The man finishes, still looking at him.

He breaks eye contact first, feeling slightly uncomfortable from the other’s stare.

“Yeah. It’s a really interesting drama about friendships and love that fans are sure to enjoy.” He says, rubbing his ear with his fingers awkwardly.

The producer simply nods and flips to another page. 

“How similar are you to your character? For this question, you need to talk about the other person. Not yourself.” 

He opens his mouth, ready to answer, when Kyungsoo beats him to it.

“I think Jongin has many similarities with Oh Jiho. Other than the obvious facts that they are very good looking and can dance well, they’re both passionate, hard working people with strong convictions in life. I respect that a lot.” 

He cannot stop himself from feeling bashful at the response. They already knew that they would be asked this particular question, of course. However, they did not really discuss their answers with each other beforehand. He is completely taken aback by Kyungsoo’s seemingly frank and sincere answer, so much so that he forgot what he wanted to say about the man.

In panic, he turns to look at Kyungsoo, finding that the man is already looking back at him, and blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind.

“His smile,” he says, and then regrets it instantly. But the damage is already done. Kyungsoo’s eyebrows rise in genuine surprise at his answer, and it makes him feel even more flustered. “What I mean is that although Sungmin is quiet and reserved, he can crack jokes and have fun with others too. He’s actually very… um… lovable and sweet if you get to know him better. Just like Kyungsoo in real life. Yes.” He follows it with a laugh that he hopes does not sound all too awkward, and tries to ignore the way Kyungsoo’s hand shoots out to squeeze his arm in a friendly manner, laughing along with him.

The producer, clearly amused, simply raises an eyebrow at his answer, and proceeds to ask another question. “Okay. What preparation did you do before filming?”

“Since this was my first time acting in a BL series, I had to really work hard and practice. Just to get used to it. We had many workshop sessions. Jongin is more experienced in this genre than me, so he has helped me a lot throughout this whole thing. I’m very grateful for him. Overall, it was a great learning experience for me.” Kyungsoo says, sending him a smile. It looks believable enough for anyone but him.

He clears his throat. “I also learned a lot from Kyungsoo. He’s acted in many series too, and I knew that I had many things to learn from him as well. It was really nice to work together with him, sharing advice and helping each other out. The crew also did an amazing job too, assisting us when we needed help. We’re both really grateful that everything turned out well.”

“Tell us more about your experience during the workshop sessions. What did you do? Was it awkward at first?”

He can’t help but let out a chuckle at the question. His mind immediately wanders back to when they attended those acting workshops. “It was awkward at first, in all honesty. But we got along pretty quickly after doing some ice-breaking exercises. We would pair up and practice our lines together, and act out some scenes. Sometimes we would act with the other cast members as well.” He’s so used to lying now that it takes zero effort to do it.

“Yeah. I had _a lot_ of fun.” Kyungsoo quips in, giggling.

“I agree. It was really fun,” he lies once again, flashing a smile that he hopes appears genuine enough to fool the audience. His eyes meet Kyungsoo’s. “I had a good time practicing the script with Kyungsoo during workshop sessions.”

-

**rewind**

Jongin knew workshops would be hell, but he did not expect this.

“What is this? A middle school dance? Jongin, stand closer and hug him tighter. Aren’t you a veteran at this? What, you’re suddenly feeling shy now?”

“Yeah, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, almost tauntingly. “Suddenly feeling shy now?” 

“Shut up.” He grumbled quietly under his breath, low enough only for Kyungsoo to hear. Despite his unwillingness, he still moved closer and tightened his hold.

They were pressed close to each other. His arms were wrapped around Kyungsoo’s skinny waist, hands splayed across the small of his back, and his chin rested on top of the man’s head. He could feel Kyungsoo’s breath down his neck, his hair prickling at his skin, and his fingers clutching onto his shirt, making sure that he was not moving around or stepping away. 

_Is this what being held hostage feels like_ , he thought, although he was the one holding Kyungsoo instead of the other way around.

In all honesty, he wanted nothing more than to push the man away and leave the room. 

Mr. Oh thought it would be a great idea for them to break the ice and get more comfortable with each other, seeing as Kyungsoo had never acted in a BL series before. He could see the rationale behind his instructions, even if it took him a while to properly fathom and accept it.

Plus, it was also a good opportunity for the crew to film and take pictures of them throughout the session. Stills of their workshop sessions would often be used as promotional pictures to gain interest and hype from the fans, leading up to the release of the drama, while clips of their behind the scenes would be compiled into several short documentaries.

That only meant that he had no choice but to act accordingly at all times. 

Since they were practicing their lines and acting out the more difficult scenes from their script, engaging in skinship was inevitable.

The last series he worked on, he was practically glued to his partner, mainly by obligation rather than choice. He expected nothing less with Kyungsoo now, even if the mere thought of it sent him over the edge. Judging by Wonshik’s words, they were scheduled to have a lot of sessions, and he was already loathing the idea of having to spend 6-7 hours with the man on a regular basis. 

They would spend even more time with each other when filming officially starts, and he was already dreading it. He wanted nothing more than for it to end soon.

“Okay. Just stay like that for a few minutes,” their acting coach said, circling around them with his long arms crossed, judging them with a sharp, critical gaze. “You have to get used to touching each other, especially _you_ , Kyungsoo. Maybe you feel a bit awkward being held by a man, but your character does not, so it’s really important to do this now so that you’ll seem more natural on camera later. When I worked with Euisoo and Gichan, they were awkward at first, but gradually they became more comfortable with each other.”

Kyungsoo hummed in understanding, and then all of a sudden, he was stepping even closer and leaning forward to rest his forehead against Jongin’s jaw. 

In the distance, he heard the sound of a phone camera snap, but he could not move his head to check who took the picture of them.

“Yes! Just like that. _Wow_. I’m seeing some real chemistry here.”

He could not believe his ears.

Appearance-wise, he knew that they were a picture-perfect, textbook pairing for BL. Their height difference was something that fans would enjoy seeing. Kyungsoo, with his pristine, soft skin was a great contrast to his own beautiful, golden tan. The man was still smaller, his stature lithe yet curvy in comparison to him, whose proportions were bigger and more built.

 _But me and Kyungsoo having chemistry on a more emotional level?_

He felt like laughing, or cringing, or something in between. It sounded so far-fetched, considering they could not even hold a conversation without being snarky to each other. But still, if a simple hug managed to convince body language guru and BL coach extraordinaire Oh Sehun to think that they had actual chemistry instead of flaming animosity, then maybe he was, in fact, correct in that Kyungsoo and him were pretty damn good actors.

Either that, or their coach was more naive than he appeared to be. 

As if to justify his thoughts, Kyungsoo muttered, sounding irritated. “Ew. You’re sweating.”

He scrunched his nose, the corner of his lips turning downward in displeasure. Sure, he was actually sweating. It was something that he could not really prevent or stop from happening unfortunately, especially when he felt particularly uncomfortable or nervous. The warmth emitting from Kyungsoo’s body that passed over to him definitely made it all worse though. It felt like he was hugging a heater, or a fire-breathing dragon. A small annoying dragon. Like the one from Mulan.

“You’re one to talk.”

“I don’t sweat.”

“Then why’s your back wet? You showered earlier?” He ducked down, pressing his nose into the crook of Kyungsoo’s neck, which earned him a sound of approval from Mr. Oh ( _“Yes, that’s a good move, Jongin. The more intimate you two are, the less awkward you will be!”)_ , and breathed in. “Doesn’t smell like it.” 

He made a whole show of it, lifting up his face and grimacing, a pinched expression appearing across his face. The truth was that the man actually didn’t smell particularly bad. In fact, there was a hint of a body wash, though he could not pinpoint exactly what kind. 

Without really thinking, he was already diving back in to take a sniff, his curiosity getting the best of him. 

_Oh._

_It’s a rose scent._

Kyungsoo had inhaled sharply at that.

“You annoy me so fucking much.” The man said after a few moments of silence through gritted teeth. He was so aggravated that he was red from the neck up. 

Later he would realize how weird and creepy he was, knowing that he, once again, took it too far and crossed the line. Still, a more twisted part of him could not help but feel smug that he managed to annoy Kyungsoo. He only wanted to piss the man off, to drive him to the edge, to elicit some kind of reaction from the man. Nothing would give Jongin as much satisfaction as watching the way the man’s ever so perfectly calm exterior shatter.

“ _Aw_. The feeling’s mutual.”

His words were cut off immediately by his own wince when Kyungsoo let out a small angry growl and knocked his head against him in order to nudge him away. 

“That hurts, you piece of shit!”

“Serve you right, fucking asshole. Do that again, and I’ll fucking kill you.” 

“Is that a threat?”

Surprisingly, they were still hugging each other despite the way they were quietly letting out a string of curses to each other, both too stubborn and too competitive with each other to be the one to let go first.

“You see that chemistry?” He heard Mr. Oh say to Ten as he went over to the younger one of the two writers who was sitting in the corner of the room. The man nodded in agreement, eyes twinkling in excitement, as if he was already watching the drama. “That is good casting right there. Good job.”

He snorted as Kyungsoo gave him another warning glare. 

_Yeah. We’re truly the best actors in BL._

-

**play**

The second interview, the one with All About BL, is a bit different compared to the first one since this time there is an actual interviewer, much to his chagrin. As the questions relating to their series and work are very similar to the ones that they already answered in the previous interview, they manage to go through them rather quickly.

He watches as the interviewer's eyes sparkle in excitement after looking at her cue cards for a brief moment.

 _Ah, the time has come_ , he thinks, tensing up. 

“Okay. Let’s move on to the more fun questions, shall we? First question… who was the last person you texted?”

Jongin smiles at the question, immediately relaxes, and replies with, “My Mom.” 

At the same time, Kyungsoo answers, casually, “PP.”

The interviewer looks surprised. “Isn’t that the Thai BL actor? Wow! You two are friends?”

Kyungsoo nods, scratching his cheek in what appears to be a shy gesture.

“I worked with this one cosmetic brand before. They held this launching event all the way in Thailand, which was where I met him. Then, we became friends. Although we aren’t able to hang out regularly because of the long distance and all, he’s a really fun person to talk to. He has helped me a lot with my first BL role, giving advice and telling me all the know-how.”

“Oh! That is so cute. Do you have any other BL actor friends then?”

“Yes, I have a few other actor friends whom have worked in this genre. They have helped me a lot. And of course, Jongin, too, has been extremely helpful by guiding me. I’m always grateful for him.” Kyungsoo turns to Jongin, grabs him by the arm, and squeezes it for a brief moment. Jongin has to give it to Kyungsoo一the man is good and really natural this fanservice thing, even though he is the less experienced one between the two. 

“Aww, you two are really close, aren’t you?” He inwardly snorts at that. “Okay, so next question: what was the text? What did you send to PP, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo laughs out loud, sounding a bit nervous. 

“Oh. Um… pass!” He says with a tone of finality, which earns a couple of laughs from the filming crew, surprised by his straightforwardness. Jongin can’t help but raise an eyebrow when the man’s eyes dart briefly in his direction before snapping away.

“Hmm. That’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it?” The interviewer jokes lightheartedly. “Then what about you, Jongin?”

“Um, I think I asked my mom how to make a good _galchi jorim_ ,” Jongin replies honestly, chuckling under his breath, suddenly feeling embarrassed at his rather lame answers. It is true that he has been interested in cooking as of lately, although he is far from being a seasoned cook, and he feels bad that his mom often has to send him food, afraid that he’ll starve himself due to the lack of food at home.

“You’re a momma’s boy, aren’t you?”

“I guess you can say that. I’m the baby of the family, so I grew up being pampered by them. We have a really close relationship with each other, me and my mom,” he ducks his head, slightly flustered at how sincere and honest he sounds at the moment. “She raised me well, and she’s my biggest inspiration and supporter. I want to work hard because of her.”

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Kyungsoo smiling as he listens to his explanation. It is just a quirk of his mouth一the kind that is more reserved, like he’s hiding something, not the famous heart-shaped smile or toothed grins meant for the cameras or the audience. 

He feels even more embarrassed now. 

The man probably thinks he’s a loser or something for constantly going off about his family, and is thinking of ways to mock him for it. 

“What about you, Kyungsoo?”

He swears he sees something flash across Kyungsoo’s face, and he can feel the way he tenses up next to him. However, before he can ponder on it, the man instantly relaxes, mouth forming into a small smile. Maybe because he is used to being around Kyungsoo that he cannot help but to notice some of his quirks and behaviors, but he feels like there’s something off about it.

“I’m close with my mom too.”

“Did she watch the series?”

Kyungsoo lets out a chuckle, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. She doesn’t really like to watch a lot of TV shows actually,” he pauses, and then quickly adds, “But, of course, she supports me in every way she can.”

The interviewer seems pleased by the answer, nodding. “Next question. Oh! This is a good one. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

They both pause at the question, but it’s him who speaks up first. 

“Um… Not really. No. I believe in attraction at first sight. I think that you have to get to know the person first before you fall in love with them.”

“What about you, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo takes a few seconds to think about it, but then he nods, which surprises Jongin. 

“Yes, I do. Sometimes you see a person, and it’s like一I don’t know how to say this一but you just _know_ , you know what I mean? I just… I just don’t think it’s completely impossible to fall for somebody the first time you see them.”

“Oooh. What a romantic! Sounds like you’ve experienced that before.”

The man laughs at that, shaking his head as rubs the back of his neck in a shy manner. He neither confirms nor denies the statement, which is basically a confirmation in itself. Jongin sits there, mind reeling, wondering if Kyungsoo has actually ever experienced it before. The man does not seem to be the kind of person who would believe in that sort of sappy shit, considering how standoffish and grouchy he often appears to be, but maybe he does not know him well enough to make that judgement.

Perhaps Kyungsoo has just never shown that side of him to _him_. And, well, he cannot deny that it bothers him. Just a little. 

Then again, they already prepared for this beforehand一they know what to do, what to say during these interviews. They can expect the kind of answers that the fans would want to hear, which will also help them with their images. So who’s to say that Kyungsoo has been answering truthfully the entire time? He himself certainly has not. 

More importantly, why on earth does he need to waste his time thinking about them? As if anything Kyungsoo says matters to begin with. 

His thoughts are interrupted when the interviewer clasps her hands together. “Wow. I feel like I’ve gotten to know about you two more now. Since we’re running out of time… how about we go straight to a short round of ‘this or that’?” 

They both nod in agreement, getting themselves ready.

“Taller or shorter?”

“Shorter.” He answers, meanwhile Kyungsoo says, smirking, “Taller.” 

“Younger or older?”

“Younger.” Kyungsoo responds almost immediately. 

It is then that he understands where the man is going with this, so he decides to play along. This is what they’re supposed to be doing anyway一convincing their audience how much they like each other.

“Hmm, I guess I’d say older.” He says after pretending to ponder about it for a short moment, and flashes a shit-eating grin when the interviewer makes a noise of understanding. Kyungsoo sends him a suggestive look, acting like he is trying his best to hide his smile but failing.

“Eyes or lips?” 

“Lips,” says Kyungsoo. 

He glances at Kyungsoo, all but discreet, and when their eyes locked, he responds with a firm, “I want to say both.” 

Kyungsoo, the good actor that he is, averts his eyes as he giggles.

“Someone who can dance or someone who can sing?”

“Sing.” He says, at the same time Kyungsoo answers, “Dance.”

The interviewer does not stop herself from fangirling at their responses, understanding what they’re hinting at as she covers her mouth with her cue card, giggling excitedly. “I see, I see. Okay, late night walks or fancy dinners?”

“Late night walks.” They both answer in perfect unison. Jongin holds up a fist at that, and Kyungsoo grins as he bumps it with his own fist.

“Alright. Thriller or romance?”

“Thriller!” They answer simultaneously, turning towards each other and fist-bumping once more. 

“You guys don’t watch romantic movies?”

“Well, it depends on the occasion and mood.” Kyungsoo replies, shrugging.

“Do you two often watch movies together? We’ve seen in your IG stories that you two are very close friends outside of work.”

He resists the urge to snort as Kyungsoo answers, reverting back to being shy, “Yes, we do. We recently hung out at Jongin’s place and watched a crime documentary on Netflix.” That never actually happened, of course, but it’s not as if anybody would know about it or can confirm whether the man is lying or not. So he just sits there and nods at whatever bullshit that spews out of the man’s mouth. 

Regardless, the interviewer gasps exaggeratedly at that, turns to the camera, and raises her eyebrow. “Oh my god. _Netflix and chill_?”

“Not in that way!” He quickly says, forcing out a laughter. All he wants to do is dig himself a hole and hide in it from the feeling of embarrassment that washes over him. 

“Aww. So just Netflix, no chill? 

Kyungsoo is laughing as well. 

“No chill!”

“Okay, okay! Next one... friendship or love?”

He answers the question with, “Both. Depending on the situation.” 

From the corner of his eyes, he can see Kyungsoo looking at him with a contemplative expression on his face. He tilts his head, and raises his eyebrow in a _‘what?’_ gesture, but the man looks away as soon as he’s caught looking. 

In fact, now that he really thinks about it, he has noticed that the man keeps looking at him throughout the interviews. There is nothing wrong with that, obviously, considering that it’s their job to appear as if they have a close relationship, but there is something about how he looks at him that intrigues him. Or, perhaps, he is just overthinking it again.

“What about you, Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo smiles, and it’s one of those reserved ones again that makes his stomach churn uncomfortably. He rubs his ear once more when Kyungsoo says, “I’d choose love.”

-

Once they are done with the interview, they immediately head back to the dressing room. Usually, he would wander around first but this time, he trails Kyungsoo as they walk off the set. The man does not seem to realize it, even as he catches up next to him, walking side-by-side.

“So. Were you shit talking about me with your BL buddies? I didn't know you had any."

Kyungsoo jumps in surprise and turns at his voice. When Kyungsoo realizes that it’s Jongin, he frowns and shoots him an incredulous look after processing the words he just said, eyes narrowing. “You truly do think the world revolves around you.” The man says in disbelief.

“Then I hope you talked about how great your co-star is.”

“Well. Don’t be too hopeful about that.”

“Oh? You don’t talk to _PP_ about how handsome I am?”

“ _God_. You’re so full of yourself, Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo replies, rolling his eyes. He stops in his tracks, turns to face him and reaches forward to poke his finger into his chest. “Or is that just a front you put up to mask that extremely insecure person that you actually are?”

His eyes widen in anger, and he finds himself stepping forward, towering over the man threateningly. To Kyungsoo’s credit, he does not seem all that intimidated by it.

“You act like you know me.”

“Not my fault that you’re just so easy to read.”

“And what, you think you’ve figured me out?”

“No.” Kyungsoo answers simply. He’s surprised by the honesty in the man’s tone, yet at the same time he’s confused by it. Kyungsoo is always so confusing, so difficult to understand. He just does not know what the man is thinking, and it’s frustrating.

“Then why do you keep making those sorts of judgments about me?”

“You never deny them, though.” 

He lets out a loud tired sigh and steps back, rubbing his temples. 

“Every time I speak to you I just… I just realize how much I can’t fucking stand you. I just can’t wait for all of this to be over.” 

He expected the man to reply with a snarky reply, something mean and hurtful like always, but actually, quite the opposite, Kyungsoo has fallen into complete silence, his eyes downcast. 

The silence is unbearable. 

They would always argue back and forth, that’s just how they behave whenever they are around each other, so it feels sort of weird for him that Kyungsoo had backed down that easily. 

Not knowing what to say, he turns around and leaves, making sure that he is walking in the opposite direction of where he thinks the man is heading to. When he thinks he’s walked far enough, he pauses in his track, and peers over his shoulder only to see that Kyungsoo is gone. 

_I just can’t wait for all of this to be over._

He had the last say, but it doesn't feel as satisfying as he thought it would be.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things to note:
> 
> 1\. PP (or PP Krit) is a famous Thai BL actor who starred in 'I Told Sunset About You'.  
> 2\. Euisoo and Gichan (or Jang Euisoo and Han Gichan) starred in the Korean BL 'Where Your Eyes Linger'.  
> 3\. Galchi jorim is hairtail fish stew.  
> 4\. The interview scenes were really difficult to write. Thankfully, there are many interviews that I can use as reference. The ones that I mostly referred to are [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzPxYW9AFKA), [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRN4XHLiBns), and [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZYwGBomH54).
> 
> This chapter was both fun and difficult to write. There will be more workshop scenes and BL cameos etc in the future so look forward to that hehe. As usual I'm more than happy to hear your feedback/comments! Is the flashback-present flow of the chapter confusing? Do you understand Jongin and Kyungsoo more? Should there be more Moonkyu? Please don't hesitate to leave them down below :D Thank you so much for reading everybody! See you next chapter <3


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